The Kazekage's Apprentice
by inkandimpalas
Summary: It seemed that I had become the Kazekage's apprentice. His world was so much different than my own, and as strange as it sounded, I was starting to fall in love with it... and him. Gaahina . M for violence and some lemon in later chapters
1. Chapter 1: Without Cause

_Guess what, Fanfiction... I'm back :). And here's my latest new idea. Hope you all like it. I'm reaching back into my roots of GaaHina so I'm thinking it'll be good. Review and I may just love you for the rest of my life ;D. _

_**Disclaimer:** I dont own Naruto xD. Sometimes I feel like I do thoughh._

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**Chapter 1:** Without Cause

"I specifically asked for Hyuuga Neji," The Kazekage said with an air of indifference. His own voice was subtle, but the authority was evidently clear. Whether to be followed wasn't the question. More so, how much time were you given to follow exactly what he wanted was how is was to be.

Of course, I wasn't about to say anything. I was just a medical chunin. My training levels weren't anywhere close to my cousins, nor would I ever admit to them being somewhat close. So I kept my mouth relatively shut. It wasn't as if I had much I could have said anyways.

The Hokage, and my personal idol, Naruto Usumaki, stared at The Kazekage intently, his chin resting on the edge of his folded hands, elbows pressed against the dark-stained wood of his desk. It had been covered in sheets of papers, all of different orders, bills, and summons of which the Hokage was to deal with for his people. I knew how little he cared about paperwork, but unfortunately it had to be done. Now, this little debacle between him and the Kazekage was the least of his worries, of that I was sure.

Of course, as I said before, I wasn't about to state these thoughts.

"Please, I don't have much time for this, Gaara. I know she isn't exactly what you were expecting…"

"Not at all what I was expecting, actually," the red-haired male murmured, making his obvious displeasure even more clear. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel insulted or just simply precarious. It wasn't as if I wanted anything to do with the Kazekage. He seemed the cruel type, never talking or speaking much of anything. He had been, after all, a merciless killer. "Hyuuga Neji is recommended of high accord. His transcripts are incredible, and you expect me to take on a second year chunin? I am somewhat appalled at this lack of respect…"

"Gaara, please. Calm down." Naruto placed his hands on the desk now, sighing irritably. "Neji Hyuuga is very necessary among my people. I know you wished of him to be apart of your militia, and surely he would have been quite the help to your people, but as of right now I cannot let him leave for any vast amount of time."

"Please, explain," the Kazekage murmured.

"Hyuuga Hinata is much more skilled in medical chakra than her elder cousin, and her chakra control is very precise," Naruto smiled, turning his large blue eyes in my direction now. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks from the sudden recognition. "I would not count her out yet. In fact, just give her some time and I'm sure you'll find she is very much wise in her strengths. Train her in the ways of Suna and she will be even more of a use to your campaign."

"Is that so," the Kazekage turned his own eyes on me. Harsh, listless eyes that held no faith in them. It was very discomforting.

"Yes, that is so," Naruto said. "And I guarantee you will not be displeased with her. She is one of my greatest comrades and a skilled Kunoichi. Think little of her and I will think little of you, Kazekage-sama."

"Hokage-sama," The red-head muttered, bowing his head. "And you, Hyuuga-sama. You know of the campaign in which I have asked your higher-up to dispatch you towards?"

"The exchange program?" I asked. "Yes. I am aware of my tasks."

"Good," he replied before turning back towards Naruto once more. "I shall take her with me. An apprentice would more suit her stature though, I hope you realize. I will train her."

"Good," Naruto said, smiling widely. "I am glad you see things our way. Hinata, thank you for your time. You're dismissed."

I nodded, turning to leave. That had been something I was far from looking forward to, and seeing that things went well for the Hokage, it looked as if I would be leaving Konoha for a very long time. How… disheartening. I merely shrugged it off as I walked out of the office and into the hallway. Least I wasn't being treated like a child any longer seeing as I was no longer one. Yes I was small, but unworthy of the chance to show my strength? Not at all. I wasn't about to stand down to this new challenge.

As I walked out of the Hokage Tower, I turned towards the road in which lead back to the Hyuuga compound. I would be leaving shortly in the next few nights and packing definitely needed to be in order.

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!" I could hear the loud voice bellowing over my shoulder as I pivoted smoothly, facing the red triangles and large canines of my first comrade. Kiba Inuzuka. His smile was wide, hands resting on his hips as the large beast of an animal trailed behind him. Akamaru never left kiba's side and, surely enough, here he was. I watched as the dog took a seat next to his master obediently, black orbs staring up at me as his tongue lapped at the air around him. I smiled, enjoying the moment.

"Kiba," I murmured, bowing my head to him. "Hello."

"Where yah off to at this time of day?" He asked, resting his hands on his hips. His voice still sounded bellowing and full of raw enthusiasm. "Up for some ramen?"

"Sorry," I murmured. "I cannot tonight. I'm… busy."

"Oh…" he seemed disheartened by this reply. "Well, maybe tomorrow then?"

"No can do." I suddenly felt a knot form in my stomach. It would be months before I would be back here again with my comrades. Months before I would be made Jonin, as Naruto had promised. Yes, if I was to make an exchange program with Suna for three months, learning the way of their people, than I would gain another level of status which was desperately needed in my case. I was the last of my age group in which was still not Jonin level.

"I don't know if I should be insulted or not," he muttered, glancing at me with hesitant eyes. "What's up? Something wrong?"

"Not necessarily." I placed my hands behind my back, feeling a spurn of pride. "You know the exchange program I was informed of a few weeks ago? The one with Suna?"

"Yeah, the one we thought you would never get," he stated bluntly. Even if he was so blatant, I was happy that he did not fabricate things.

"Well, I was accepted and will be leaving shortly with Kazekage-sama," I smiled, wondering if the excitement was visible in my voice or not. "I'm going to be his apprentice…"

"Hinata-chan, that's amazing!" Kiba wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. One I had not been expecting, but easily accepted with just as much happiness as someone like me could display. The red tint to my cheeks further spread as he swayed me this way and that in his rib-busting hug. "I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!"

"K-Kiba-san," I muttered, feeling extremely embarrassed. I was not used to any form of touching or embracing especially of this sort of type. And he was so close to me now. So very, very close.

He let his arms slip away from me, scratching the back of his chestnut brown hair. That goofy grin of his was still spread across his cheeks as if nothing else in the world mattered. And for that, I loved him. He was my best friend.

"I can't believe it," he said, exasperated. "My little Hina-chan leaving Konoha for three months! This is so surreal."

"It's not going to be that long," I murmured, turning my eyes towards the ground. "I'll be home sooner than you know it."

"You better be, missy," he said, chuckling light-heartedly. "And ten times the shinobi, yah hear?"

"Yeah, I hear you," I smiled shyly, hands clasped in front of me weakly. "I really must be going, Kiba-san. I have quite a bit to do before I leave."

"Yes, yes," he shook his head, putting his hand on my shoulder. "But you swear you will come see me before you leave? I don't want you just running off without a proper goodbye."

"Hai," I murmured. "I shall find you. But for now, I must go."

"Kay," he let his hand fall away before he turned around, waving. "See you around Hina-chan!"

I watched him walk away, my hopes high. Kiba was one of those few people who knew exactly what to say to make things less tense, and his way of always being so optimistic was something I barely understood myself. He was perfect, some would think. Perfect. And I was very much not perfect.

I turned to walk home, a spring in my step. I would come back here one day stronger than I ever was now. I would make something of myself and I would prove to the people who believed in my like Kiba and Naruto that their belief was not in vain. I would show the world who I was even if I had to start off in a place so very far away from home.

And with the captain of depression.

I tried not to think about the stark, rigged Kazekage in which I would be spending a vast amount of my time with from now on. It wasn't as if I was scared of him nor did I wish to be anywhere else. I found myself quite lucky to be under the watchful eye of Sabaku no Gaara himself. You don't come across such luck.

He was just so stark, is all.

(Break)

The morning came faster than I had wanted it too. I had visited Kiba, curious as to what the 'proper' goodbye was in which I never found out. He became awkward, shy even. His persona was not really that of the Kiba I knew and, before I knew it, the night had ended with him giving me the same listless wave. I was a bit disappointed but that was how things were.

And was my time to leave this place. I was going to be something.

I strapped the large backpack to my back, adjusting the weight this and that. It would be a long and boring journey of that I was sure seeing as I was travelling with the Kazekage after all. Anyone else would be quieted by his mere presence. I didn't mind so much though. Silence could be a good thing.

I strode into town, its streets silent and empty. The sun was peaking over the horizon slowly filling the sky with a pungent blush pink and misty cyan. It was a beautiful, cloudless day.

As I approached the edges of town, I saw Naruto standing at the gates next to the esteemed Kazekage-sama. They seemed to be chatting among themselves for Naruto's face was not that of a serious nature. In fact, his whole body language was lighthearted.

The Kazekage-sama was much more tense than that. His face was blank, lips moving quickly. His hands would sometimes jump up to make swift hand gestures but mostly he was tense in on himself. As a leader should be, I thought.

I came closer, wondering if I should be intruding, but it was already twenty to seven. I was to be there at least quarter to. Sighing heavily, I walked towards the conversation.

"Oi, Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled, waving his arm up as he realized my slow approach. I buckled in on myself, half frightened by his knowledge of my being there, and half amused at the easy going way he greeted me. It was as if we were children again. Oh, how much I had loved him those days.

"Naruto-san," I murmured, bowing my head to him. "Kazekage-sama."

"Hyuuga-sama," he replied.

"Always the formal types," Naruto shook his head, exasperated. "I'm sure you two will become at least a little more informal on the journey home?"

"I'm not making any promises," Kazekage-sama stated, his arms crossing his chest impishly.

"Don't worry too much about him, Hina-chan," Naruto chuckled. "Give him and few and he'll crack. He's way more social than he lets people believe."

"Humph," was the only response in which the red-head gave. His eyes just turned away from me as if not wishing to keep sight of me for more than a short period of time. I guess that's how things were going to be then… But I wasn't going to let it get me down. If he wasn't going to accept me, then I would easily stand tall and do what I could to be the best I could be for myself.

"Well I guess this would be it," Naruto bowed. "Goodbye you two and, please Gaara, try not to make the girl want to come home already."

"Like I said, not making any promises," he stated. "Now, Hyuuga-sama, lets go."

"Wait," I stated, following after him as he strode away with long, graceful steps. So easy for him to walk quickly with such long legs. If I hadn't been way shorter than him, I'm sure keeping up would be much easier. "Jeez, wait a second, would you?"

He seemed surprised by this statement, slowing his pace down to a mere gentle walk. I caught up by then, resting my hands on my hips.

"So this is it?" I asked.

"As in?" He replied smoothly.

"As in the amount of people you're bringing back with you to Suna," I stated. "I was sort of hoping maybe there would be a few more people."

"Nope," he shrugged, picking up pace again. "No need. You are the only connection I need to Konoha. After you, there will be another apprentice, I'm sure, but for now all I need is one. This means you are the representative for all of your village. Of course, I thought you already knew of this."

I turned my eyes back towards Naruto who was now quite far off in the distance. He had not informed me much of anything except that I was being considered for an exchange program.

"And what does this whole 'representative' situation entail?" I asked.

"You train with me," he stated. "You will be near me everyday for the next three months. If I train, you train. If I speak with the counsel of elders, you will also be among us and will have your chance to put in input. Of course, that's if your input is of any use. You are going to Suna to learn everything and anything about the life of those who live in the desert."

I was kind of surprised at this. Had I heard of it before, I'm sure I would have been more excited than I had been the night prior. This exchange was something much grander than I had thought it would be.

"So I am to learn from the Kazekage himself," I murmured, staring down at my feet.

"And learn you will, as your Hokage promised me," Kazekage-sama muttered. "But first, there is one thing I am very adamant on, especially if you are to be around me for the next three months."

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"Call me Gaara," he stated. "None of this 'Kazekage-sama' business."

I was sort of surprised at that. I was sure that the formality would be seen as a good thing in his eyes. It wasn't as if he looked like the type to strive for nicknames or anything of the sort, so to call him straight up by his first name seemed sort of superfluous.

"Gaara," I murmured. "I guess I could get used to that. And you'll call me Hinata-san?"

"I'll call you whatever you wish me to," he stated, still not looking at me. His face was expressionless, but his words were strangely… human. Far from what I expected for the Kazekage-sama. "Whether that be Hyuuga-sama, or Hina-chan as Naruto seems to take a liking to calling you."

"Hinata," I said, feeling the colour rise to my cheeks. "If I am to call you Gaara, than it would only be fair that you were to call me Hinata, ne?"

"It would seem that that would be fair," He spoke.

For the first time, I wondered what the colour of his eyes looked like. The way the sun must sparkle in them if he stood in just the right angle. There was something about Gaara that I didn't understand. Something I had never had the chance to understand till now, and surely I would take the chance to find it.

There was something oddly strange about Gaara, but I was sure it couldn't have been anything bad. In fact, if anything, I bet it was something very good.

I had no idea how right I was.

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_And that was the first chapter. Tell me what you guys think and hope you enjoyed it! Peacee!_

_~ Sabaku-Kazekage_


	2. Chapter 2: To Suna

_Hey, hey, my lovely readers! So I gave it a week and already 9 reviews! I'm very happy about that :). Well, here's the update. It's mostly just character developement seeing as there isn't too much of a plotline yet. Of course, there will be but it needs some time to grow! Hope you like it and dont forget to tell me what you think by pressing my favourite little button in the world ;D *cough*review*cough*_

_Other than that, love you all and enjoy the new chapter!_

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**Chapter 2:** To Suna

After we had had the polite exchange of words during the beginning of the trip, silence crept into our journey making it slow and very quiet.

Like I had stated prior, I didn't much mind this. We weren't going at any form of high speed so the walking was light and gentle. The summer air beat down on us without cause, as the breeze cooled our flesh with its gentle tendrils. And all of this happened in the endless, abundant silence.

I had turned my eyes towards Kazekage-sama many times, curious mostly of him. He was different. Nothing like the inhabitants of Konoha as his hair was so thick and vibrantly red. I was amazed at the sight of its messy tresses blowing this way and that as he walked. His skin had also been something I marveled at. He was a member of the desert village so I thought he should be as dark as someone of aboriginal blood. His skin, though, was ivory and pearly in tone. It was the farthest thing from harsh and contrasted heavily with the fiery intensity of his hair.

Mostly I tried to get glimpses of his hard eyes but that was difficult when trying to remain seemingly inconspicuous. The colour was something I had found myself very interested in learning of, and the more I thought about it, the more the urge to know grew. What did Sabaku no Gaara's eyes hold and why were they such a mystery to me?

I could not answer that thought as I waited patiently for my moment to arrive. That single second in which would give me the chance to peek into those pearly orbs of his.

As we walked, I thought of Suna. Of the place in which I would be a resident to for the next three months. It sounded beautiful from any descriptions I had heard from Naruto and Sakura. Mostly, I just wanted to see for myself and I would be getting that chance soon enough.

The thought of a place without my comrades though was something that did not fail to leave me feeling somewhat nervous. Without Kiba or Shino, I had no security blanket. If I made mistakes, the Kazekage himself would be there to witness it first hand and there would be no one to fall back on if I failed.

I tried not to think of this though. Those were thoughts for people who could spare the time to think of such radical things and, as it seemed blatantly clear, I would not have such time in my future endeavors.

I turned my eyes towards Kazekage-sama again. A brief glance. Nothing that should have been too visible but I knew I had been caught when a sigh slipped through his lips.

"What is it?" he asked finally. "Is there something on my face?"

"Oh… no, Kaze… I mean Gaara," I murmured, stumbling over my words. A nervous habit. "I means to say, I was just… I…"

"Well?"

"I was curious is all," I finally murmured, embarrassed. "Your appearance… it's interesting."

"Oh…" he kept his eyes far from mine as if his very life depended on it. "I see."

"Not that that's a bad thing!" I caught the words as they flew out of my mouth. "In fact, I think you're quite beautiful… I-I mean…"

I knew the colour was rising to my cheeks. It always did without fail as I dug my own grave deeper and deeper. I couldn't find an easy way to get my foot out of my mouth and if I talked anymore, I would only make more of a fool of myself. So I quieted, hoping that the silence from prior would take over again. If so, then maybe he would forget everything I said…

"Thank you," he murmured. "I've never been called that before."

I turned my eyes towards his direction, surprised. I had not expected that from him, and for the most part, it was very strange. His strength and authority usually boomed in his voice, but the words that had floated through his lips were solemn. Quiet words as if not to be heard by anyone but himself. I felt almost ashamed for having heard his voice so greatly… vulnerable.

I kept my eyes towards the ground as the journey continued, the silence creeping back into the most eventful moment. I welcomed it with open arms. Surely it would help with the tension… or make it worse. Sometimes silence helped nothing.

(Break)

The travelling had taken a turn for the worse as the clouds started forming above our heads. Unfortunately for us, the rainfall would be the first of many that would come on the course of our journey, as the weather channel had predicted. But Kazekage-sama had to return to his home immediately as was what he promised. Rain or shine, we were to travel and travel we would. From one end of the world to the next, so it felt.

And I was becoming aware of how drastically the clouds were changing. Soon the rain would be upon us.

The silence had also not ended quite yet. After my little blurt, I hadn't been able to think of anything I could have really said to him. The weather was starting to reflect my mood severely and only furthered when the first drop of rain hit the end of my nose. A cold splat that could not have gone unnoticed. I felt a sigh leave my lips, my hopes drowning in the idea of rain.

"Water," Gaara muttered, disdain filling his calm voice. "I don't like water."

I turned my eyes towards him once more, not sure if it was even acceptable anymore but not letting myself have the chance to second guess it either. "It's just water. Why don't you like it?"

"Never have," he stated simply. "Turns everything to mud."

"But it brings life," I said, smiling lightly to myself. "And greenery. Especially flowers."

"The desert has no flowers, except, of course, cactuses but I wouldn't think you would enjoy the sight of such a thing as cactuses," he said, assuming. "They are a harsh thing. Dangerous and far from admired."

"I've never seen a cactus," I admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "But every rose has its thorns, right?"

He didn't respond.

"With ups, so do things have downs," I said. "With life, there is ultimately death. But also, with such things as danger and harshness, there is beauty and tenderness. A balance."

Again, nothing.

"D-don't you think there is a balance to life?" I asked, hearing my voice break. I wasn't sure if asking him a question was even acceptable.

"No." was all he said.

I felt disappointment fall on my shoulders roughly. Of course he had to be stark about my opinions. His character was fully stark. Rigid as ever and I was his greatest abhorrence. His eyes turned towards me, full and bright. They were the eyes of someone much kinder than what he appeared to be. Eyes of a child.

"There are things far to dangerous to be beautiful, Hinata," he stated, voice cold. "You will soon realize this, and the quicker the better. The desert holds a great many things and most of it unkind."

"But there is still beauty…"

"There is no beauty," he muttered, obviously annoyed. "There is only the tough. The callused men and women of Suna. Leave your ridiculous ideals at the gate because it is the tough who survive the desert and if you are not strong enough, you will die."

"I will not die, Kazekage-sama," I stated, feeling some form of pride shine through. It was enough to make my weak frame just a smidge stronger. "I have no want in the world to die, but I assure you, I will not leave my ideals at the gate."

"Than risk what you wish," he stated, walking away briskly. "Beauty is dead for those who fight for life."

"Y-yet… yet you are beautiful, Gaara," I let the words out slowly. A gentle whisper in which I hoped he hadn't heard after they slipped through my lips. He had been quite far away from me now. Of course, as he stopped, turning towards me, I already knew nothing would escape his hearing.

"You judge only on outer appearance," he said. "And that's what will get you killed."

(Break)

The rain had only gotten worse. It went from a light sprinkle to a full out shower that covered everything and anything. We had fought against the rain for quite some time, letting it pelt us repeatedly to my great disdain. But everyone has a breaking point. After finally giving up, we set up our camp under a tree, trying to keep things as dry as possible which turned out to be completely impossible.

Gaara became frustrated though and let the sand run from his gourd, creating a shield above our heads to keep the rain from falling. This way, we could finish setting up the tent in peace and, quite frankly, I was happy to be out of it.

When all was said and done, we ducked under the tent and searched our bags for everything and anything that was dry.

"I hate water," he grumbled as he put a plush towel on his head. His back was to me, kneeling as he massaged the towel through his short locks, trying to dry it somewhat.

I unfolded my sleeping bag, wondering how warm it would feel to have my feet out of the cold wet socks and into the safe, warm sack. None of this soaking nonsense. "I don't hate water. I hate thunder."

He turned his head towards me at this, surprise filling his eyes. "Thunder?"

"Yeah," I murmured, feeling suddenly very embarrassed. It wasn't exactly a fear in which I was proud of. "I-I don't like loud noises…"

"I like thunder," he smirked. It wasn't a questioning tone, or one in which would set me off guard. Just a soft, almost gentle line and again I felt the vulnerability of his voice. It was a sound I wanted to hear more of. A sound that was confusing but exciting and I couldn't imagine why I ever got the chance to hear it. "It's blunt. It never hides its intent."

I looked down at my feet, feeling the blush rise to my cheeks. Thinking about such things was not quite the most ideal of things for me to do. Surely there was something better to think of instead of the simple tenderness of his voice. Like what I would be doing when I got to Suna… or if there were any special acts in which I would have to perform. None of this mystery that came with the strange, dangerous, beautiful Kazekage.

I reached into my rucksack, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt, thinking of the dry clothes instead. It would be much nicer to get out of the wet ones I had been adorning for the past few hours or so.

Gaara threw the towel to the side of the tent, removing the wet robe off his shoulders. I felt a lump form in my throat at the sight of his pale flesh being revealed to me. "G-Gaara-san!"

He turned the full force of his eyes on me, confusion written across his nonexistent brow. Of course, my eyes had been too distracted by the perfect shape of his shoulders and collarbone to really realize this. "What?"

"A-ano… you are… well, I…" I raised my hand to my mouth before screwing my eyes closed. "C-clothing!"

"Its just skin," he stated bluntly, letting the robe fall around him. His legs were crossed, hands grabbing for another towel within his rucksack so that he could dry the small beads of condensation still running down the smooth skin. "We're shinobi. I'm sure you can get past the whole gender barrier thing, seeing as you'll be spending a lot of time with me in the next three months. Get used to it."

"B-but I…"

"Hinata," he murmured, crawling closer to me. "Are you embarrassed?"

My eyes widened, the heat flaring in my cheeks rapidly. He was so close, his face void of any sort of emotion, but his stomach beautifully toned and muscular. His mouth was mere inches from mine.

"Hinata," he said, staring point blank into my eyes. No fear. No hesitation. Just the sight of intense aquamarine. Yes, his eyes were aquamarine. "Are you fearful of me?"

"N-no G-Gaara-san," I stuttered, gulping for air as I clutched my knees even tighter to my chest. His arms were on either side of me, as he was easily the closest anyone of the opposite gender had ever come towards my body. I had not expected this at all.

"Than you shouldn't have a problem with seeing skin," he stated finally, sighing loudly as he sat back, cross-legged. His pants left went knee prints on the tent floor. "Now if you don't mind, I really must get into warm clothing. If you are really so disturbed, than turn around."

And I did exactly that, not that I was disturbed by the sight of his muscular chest… I was human after all and there weren't many who were capable of such incredible body strength.

I also changed as well, hoping that his eyes were no where near myself. This thought was only more embarrassing of course. But, than again, there wasn't much to my body. Everything about my frame was small and insignificant. I didn't feel like someone as beautifully built as the Kazekage-sama, would wish to ever peak at the measly body in which I possessed. This thought made it easier to change, and quickly I did.

When I finished, I turned around, seeing that Gaara had finished changing as well and was now unzipping his own sleeping bag. His face was still very solemn as if anything he may have done did not effect him in the least.

I just slipped into my own sleeping bag, hoping to forget everything and anything that just happened. Kazekage-sama was way different than I had ever believed him to be.

"Goodnight, Hinata," he murmured, turning his body towards the opposite side of the tent.

"Goodnight, Gaara," I replied. "And happily too."

"Why's that?" he asked, though there wasn't any curiosity evident there. It just seemed as if he was trying to make some form of conversation.

"Because, for a minute there, I was sure you were gonna…" I stopped myself from completing the sentence, unsure if I had overstepped my boundaries. I wasn't really sure what my boundaries were just yet and didn't feel the need to test the borders out. Of course, my mouth did the work for me as I realized.

Gaara turned towards me, chuckling. "Kiss you? I'm sure you'll realize that I have no such intentions to do anything of that sort with you."

I had already known that that had been the case, but I was surprised at how harsh they had sounded to even my ears now.

"I guarantee you, I'm not stupid enough to kiss a shinobi," he stated finally before turning fully away. "Goodnight Hinata and this time I mean it."

I didn't speak a word more. What could I have said even if I did? Nothing that would have changed things.

So I went to bed, hoping maybe tomorrow would be a better day, and trying not to let the hurt of what he said get the best of me.

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_And thats it for this chapter update. I know Gaara sounds a bit cold-hearted but thats what I want him to seem like in the beginning. I really want to give a good, strong character description for him so yeah. Hopefully he shines through well enough. And Hinata's pretty easy to write for so I'm sure she'll remain in character. _

_Other than that, hope you liked it and dont forget to review ;D Cause than I may just love you forever and always. _

_Loveee,_

_Sabaku-Kazekage_


	3. Chapter 3: Say Anything

Hey guys :). I know this is a little late but I think its a pretty well developed chapter...? Well, I'd like to see what you all think and maybe start speeding up the plotline? I dont want to rush things.. tell me what you think and if I should start 'heating things up' between the two of them :).

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Chapter 3: Say Anything

I stared at my feet, wondering what powered them to move forward on their own. Each step they took felt listless, as if I was barely moving at all. There was nowhere remotely close in which I was heading to, and nowhere behind that meant turning around would have any use. So I would keep walking forward, even if forward was seemed endless and wherever my destination was, was too far off to think of it as anything other than a distant dream.

Of course, the reality of it was very clear, as it was walking right beside me with ill-contempt and a horrible mood just wafting off of him. Kazekage-sama was no longer in the calm, almost lighthearted state of mind he had been the day prior. Now he was just hard and cold as stone, teeth clenched oddly and nose scrunched miserably.

"What's your problem?" I asked finally. It seemed it had been hours since he face first downturned. "You've been miserable all day."

"Not miserable," he stated. "Impatient. I want to be home."

"We'll get there when we get there," I replied, no longer feeling shy. More so, now that I knew exactly what he felt of me, I no longer felt confused. In fact, I think I more felt a bit of annoyance at how rude he had been. He could have tried to be softer, maybe more human. This horrible mood was also putting me extremely on edge. "And we wont be there for another very long time so give it a rest."

He looked down at me, nose no longer scrunched. In fact, there seemed to be an odd smirk visible across his cheeks. "A rest, you say?"

"Yeah, that would be just lovely," I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"I have said nothing to you this entire time and yet I'm still doing something wrong…" he scoffed. "Really now, I'm the one who should be giving it a rest."

"Your mood is making this trip a lot more unbearable than it has to be so lighten the fuck up and give it a rest," I huffed, the anger boiling over. This was far from what I'm sure he expected seeing as it was something I'd never say to anyone at all. In fact, I had a hard time saying cruel things to anyone but to Gaara at this very moment in time I really didn't care. There was no one here to judge me but him, and, to be quite frank, I didn't care what he thought of me.

"And being peevish with me is going to make my mood lighten," he murmured, still smirking. "You have a funny way of cheering people up, Miss Hinata. A very funny way."

"I don't care so much as to cheer you up," I said. "I couldn't care less. I'd just rather make it to wherever we're going without having to deal with mister piss off storming around like the world causes him oh so much trouble. Look at yourself and your life. Things are good so stop acting like a little walk is the end of the world. Get over yourself."

"Cheeky," he chuckled. "Very cheeky. Surprising almost..."

"What's not surprising is your lack of respect," I grumbled.

"And _your_ lack of respect, might I add," his chuckles grew hearty as he stopped, smile wide. "You do realize that you are not only mouthing off to a higher up, but also to the Kazekage of a village in which exports and imports regularly with the village in which you come from? And, might I add, you are also representing the whole of Konoha at the same time as you mouth off to a leader from a very closely tied village?"

I felt my stomach drop.

"Of course, it never really mattered to me who treated me like a real 'leader' in words. Don't undermine my authority and I have no qualms against you," his eyes lit up. "But say whatever you want. I love a challenge."

"I don't plan on being a challenge, Kazekage-sama," I murmured, letting my anger diffuse slowly. It wasn't worth my time giving him what he wanted. "You'll have to find that elsewhere."

"No, you are definitely a challenge," he rested his arms against his chest. "A challenge I accept with gratitude."

"And what gratitude is that, Sabaku-san?" I asked, feeling the anger flare up again. It was hard keeping my emotions under control when I started feeling an immense hatred well up within me. "Seeing as you find it in your best interests to bug me. I don't see any sort of sincerity in anything you've told me so far, and quite frankly I'm not looking for any. Mind your own business and I will do as I'm asked. I want nothing to do with you."

I think this threw him for a loop as the smirk disappeared from his face, brow furrowing. "Nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Not friends?"

"No chance in hell."

"Well friends wouldn't be that hard I think," he stated, hands gesturing as if balancing the pros and cons of what he had spoken of. "Seeing as we're going to be spending the next three months together, it would seem imperative that we should be somewhat friends…"

He was rambling. His words were blurring together as if he was confused, but he kept speaking, trying to find a balance. It was kind of cute…

"Ah, so you want to be friends?" I asked.

"No."

It was my turn to smirk. "Oh really now."

"Really," he stated, knowing that he had just gotten caught in some form of a loophole. He would fight his statement till the end though. That I knew was clear for he was Sabaku no Gaara.

"And yet you want me to want to be your friend, is that right?"

"I was not making any statements towards us actually being friends," he raised his hands in defense. "Just wondering as to why you did not have even the slightest inkling of a want to be friends is all."

"Ah, I see," I murmured playfully. "And for a second there I actually thought you had a heart. How wrong of me to presume…"

It was blatantly clear that this had went from a moment of anger to a whole different emotion once again. It was playful as if we weren't really combating. Just communicating in the only sort of amusing way Gaara knew how. Time was zooming past as long as we were talking in such a manner, and to be completely honest, it was kind of fun. I wasn't hiding nor fearing. I was allowed to be straight up blunt and forward. I was completely and utterly myself… And it was amazing.

"Presume all you want," he said. "I have a heart, seeing as I'm alive after all and, contrary to popular belief, I do bleed and it is red."

"Ah, seems I was once again wrong," I smirked. "You're just a mess of contradictions, aren't you?"

"Contradictions? No," he said, resting his hand against his hip. "Now vital organs would be more of the correct term to use there."

"Naruto was right," I said, resting my own hands on my hips as I halted.

"As in?" he asked, turning to look back at me.

"As in your way of being," I said. "You are a lot more social than you give yourself credit for. I think you actually have a high liking towards humanity, you just don't want people to see that about you, huh?"

"Oh the calamity, you just solved the mystery of the century," he rolled his eyes. "There are no big secrets here, Hinata. I am as I am. Whether you see me as a stark being or a brat, I don't really care. People will always see me for what I'm not so let them believe exactly what they wish to believe. I'm a monster. I'm lifeless. I feel nothing. Traits that aren't necessarily true but have been ones I've acquired."

"But why?" I asked after pausing for a few seconds. His words surprised me once again. "You don't care what people think of you?"

"Never have, and probably never will," he sighed. "People are ignorant and close-minded seeing as they like to push out what they don't understand. When something is amiss, you destroy it. When something is perfect, you praise it. I'm the farthest thing from perfect and quiet close to the 'amiss' category so, no matter how hard I would work to restore my already completely destroyed reputation, there would be no way that I could, in fact, change how people felt about me. So why should I bother caring what they think, Hinata? I am who I am and I know who I am. That is enough for me."

"You're a lot stronger than I would have guessed," I said, feeling suddenly very ashamed. I had spent so much of my life trying to be everything I wasn't. A perfect, model daughter for my father. A strong Shinobi for everyone else. A beautiful girl for Naruto. So much time was spent wondering, waiting, trying to change every aspect of myself to match these unrealistic ideals that came with being a girl. The more I thought of it, the more I realized how obsessed I had been with the idea of what people saw. What people understood was me.

And Naruto wasn't like that. He was always seen as a monster and yet loved life. Loved every part of himself and fought for friends and for what he wanted in life without ever thinking about how people thought of him. He already knew what they saw and didn't fight that because he knew who he was and he was happy with that.

As it seemed blatantly the same with Gaara.

How much time had I wasted? I could never say. But I was immensely ashamed as I stared at Gaara, lips downturned. Why had I ever thought so lowly of him or anyone else who saw the world from a much more rewarding perspective?

"You know, sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to realize that people's ideas of you aren't what matter," he stated, turning to walk away once more. "I hit rock bottom many times if my lifetime, Hinata-sama. I've done many things I'm not proud of in search for the reasoning I have today. And, armed with that experience, I was able to grow and become what I wanted to be. Not what anyone else wanted of me. You'll find that one day, I think."

"And whys that?"

"Because you see things a lot like I do," he stated. "I can tell."

(break)

I had to admit, things became a lot easier for us after that little play fight.

We got to talking about a lot of things like life and our childhoods. Some things I never really expected of Gaara and, to be quite honest, I was really happy that he spoke of it with me. I was insanely interested in what he had to say and the more I listened, the more my respect for him grew. He had been so quiet though before. So stark and rigid to anyone on the outside. But than again, it wasn't as if he was very lenient either.

As we talked, he was quick to say what he felt or meant but did so in an odd sort of manner. He walked straight, face very expressionless unless smiling at some form of a good memory. He seemed so, shall I say, awkward?

But I was awkward too.

It was hard trying not to think about what he was probably thinking about me. Trying not to revert back to the calm, submissive me that everyone knew me as. I wanted to stay outright and fluent with him. To be completely and honestly myself, but it was scary when someone could read me so openly. I didn't know if I liked that or not.

But I would be me. There was no one in the world I wanted to be more and it seemed that Gaara was not shunning me out or thinking me weird in any of my thought processes. He just listened intently when I spoke, nodding and taking in everything I spoke, and replying at appropriate times.

So maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, being myself and all. And if he didn't like me for what I was, than that was his own problem… right?

"There is only one more days walk from here on in," Gaara murmured, stopping now. He let the rucksack fall from his shoulders, slumping down to sit. "I cant wait to be home."

"Yeah, Suna sounds beautiful by the descriptions you've spoken…" I caught myself, realizing exactly what I just said. Gaara had spoken idly of how much he hated the idea of beauty and I just brought it up again.

He shrugged, turning his eyes towards the sky. "I guess, in a way, Suna is beautiful. It is the place I call home. It's the place I don't feel so alone."

I felt as if I stumbled into a private moment I shouldn't have been apart of. A moment in which wasn't mine but still interestingly enough, I was hearing it.

"You love Suna," I stated. It wasn't a question. It was a fact.

"With every ounce of my being," he smirked, arms wrapped around his knees. His eyes were upturned towards the sky. A blood-red sky.

"Than I am happy that I should be so lucky as to see it," I stated, smiling widely. "And I hope that maybe, one day, I can see and understand it the same way you do."

"Good luck," he chuckled mildly. "But my love for Suna is a love that only comes with the thought of that place in which you first came from. That pride for the people who you belong to. Your pride lives with the Hyuuga clan, am I correct? In Konoha? No matter how bad things get, when you think about it, the place you come from is the place that makes you puff up with happiness… a least I do."

"No, I can understand that…" I smirked.

"Ah, so you have the pride of your people?" he asked. The look in his eyes was childlike again, but his expression, though still oddly very still, was softer and kinder than what I was used to. Was he.. opening up to me? I didn't really know. He was Gaara after all.

So I stared down at him, wondering what those large, aquamarine eyes held inside them. They were absolutely beautiful. Why he couldn't see that was something I didn't understand but I was terribly bohemian. Truth and beauty were exactly the words to describe Gaara.

Brutal truth and brutally beautiful.

"I do," I said, thinking back on it. I had definitely tried to show my pride during the chunin exams and in many other aspects of my shinobi career. It was a matter of how much pride, though, that was the question. "I love my people very much, especially Neji-niisan and Hanabi-imouto. Hiashi-chichi is nice too, sometimes, and he makes me work really hard so I am happy that he is there."

"You call Hyuuga-sama as a brother?" Gaara asked. A plan question, but there was curiosity evident in it. "Why's that?"

"Because Neji-niisan is my brother," I stated. "Though not blood related in that sense, he was more of a sibling to me than imouto and more of a father to me than chichi. It's alright though. I am happy that I have a family."

And this was true. Hanabi had never really been close with me till recently, and Hiashi was never really close with me at all. I don't know if he understood his position as a father, but it was alright. I still had a father and it made me happy.

"He sounds like a good man," he stated. "I had personally wanted him apart of my militia…"

"I know, Gaara," I chuckled. "I was there when you spoke to Naruto-san."

He glanced up at me, hand wiping away the stray locks of hair that had tossed too and fro in the light breeze. Luckily it had been very warm out that afternoon and the sky was cloudless, though the ground was still somewhat damp. I didn't mind so much seeing as we were walking but now, as the sun was slowly hitting the horizon, sleep was inevitably coming closer. I laid my bag down, ready to pull out the tent when I heard Gaara's voice cut in.

"Leave the tent," he stated, slipping his own bag off of his shoulders. "It's a clear night tonight and we wont have the chance to do this in Suna. Lets sleep under the stars."

I stared at him for a few seconds than down at my bag, a little surprised. It was something I had never done before, sleeping outside without a tent. I wasn't sure if that was such a good idea but listened to him anyways. Maybe it would be nice. I grabbed my sleeping bag and began to unfold it, getting ready for the approaching night.

"Do you like sleeping under the stars?" I asked.

"Yeah, when I get the chance too," he stated, turning his eyes towards the sky. "It's been awhile though. The desert drops in temperature to minus twenty at night and hits a high of thirty-five during the day so staying out at night to experience the coldness and the weather change often enough is very hard on the body. I end up not being able to watch."

"Oh," I stated, a little surprised. Those were quite the drastic weather changes in which I had not thought would happen. The small amount of clothing I brought was summery… maybe I would have to do some shopping later on when I had some spare time to myself. Either way, I would be there for awhile so I did need to prepare myself for what was coming.

We than set up camp. A slow, dragged out process of firewood collecting and placing things out this way and that. We had both been very tired from the long walk and as night approached ever faster, all I wished to do was sleep. Of course, I had to eat something and that I did. When everything came together, we sat by the make-shift fire eating boxed onigiri and drinking out of the canteens we constantly refilled. It was very relaxing.

Gaara ate quickly. He had spoken of not really enjoying onigiri that much as it was often enough bland and tasteless. I didn't mind bland so much and ate slowly, the rice balls a little stale from being left in boxes for over a day and a half. It was still nice to have something in my stomach of which wasn't trail mix and sunflower seeds.

When the stars bloomed across the sky, Gaara had become very quiet, no longer impatient. His eyes just stared searchingly as if waiting for something; anything. It was only the stars though as unmoving as they were and with growing curiosity, I took a seat near him, trying to search for whatever he was seeing.

But all I saw were stars.

"He's beautiful, isn't he," Gaara stated, smiling. "You never see him so clearly except nights like these."

"Him?" I asked.

"Orion," he said, not letting his eyes drift from the place where they stayed. "In all his infinite glory. His hands raised for battle, sword sheathed. A true nobleman."

"Unfortunately, I don't see him," I murmured, embarrassed. It wasn't something I liked admitting, mind you, as I searched. When I saw stars I saw nothing within them. Just them. I had never even been able to locate the little dipper which was supposedly very easy to find.

"You only see outer appearances," he injected, voice not harsh, but not kind either. "What is external. Nothing on the inside. You see, Orion has to stars for his hands, three for his belt than two for his sheath. Lastly there are two more for his feet. Do you see?"

I shook my head, still embarrassed. What a fool I was making myself seem.

"There," his hand touched the bottom of my chin, tilting it up higher, free hand pointing. "Those bright stars there."

The first glimpse I got of Orion was sadly unenthusiastic, for I had been to lost in the touch of the hand against the skin of my neck. It was beautiful, mind you, and I much enjoyed the sight of such a marvelous constellation, but there was someone much more beautiful only inches from my side. So close that his skin was against mine. How could I think of something so far away when the thing that interested me the most was mere inches from my side?

This I could not tell you, but one thing I was very sure was that, when his hand fell away, I craved it. I knew then that everything I knew of Gaara, that unoptimistic, sarcastic, stark, rigid Kazekage, was excitingly wrong.

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Okayyy, so that was the chapter :). Tell me what you think and please please please review! I would love to know if I should 'speed up' the relationship. Tell me everything you want to see and I may add it if it doesnt conflict with the plotline D

~Sabaku-Kazekage


	4. Chapter 4: Just Say What You Mean

Hey everyone :). Its Sabaku-Kazekage with the latest chapter and, as people wish to see, the relationship may just speed up a bit :). I hope you enjoy and, if you really love me or this story, review review review! If you hate me and hate this story... also review and tell me how much you hate me ;D. At least its a review ;3.

Well... enjoy :)

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Chapter 4: Just Say What You Mean

Sunagakure.

What a place. I could not explain the sight of the bustling city located so far out into the middle of the desert that it was nearly impossible to locate if not for Gaara's impeccable sense of direction.

The city was strange though, confusing. Although the buildings were the same, sandy colors as the giant barricade surrounding the entirety of it, and the houses were not necessarily in the most beautiful of conditions, there was something inaudibly amazing about this place. A precarious need for a second glance, a surreptitious understanding.

I could not tell you why I had this irrational love for this place from first sight. It felt so… homely. Much more homely than the Hyuuga compound, that was for sure.

As we walked through the town towards our destination, I followed behind Gaara as a duckling might, unsure of my own feet and the way in which I was to treat the Kazekage-sama in public. These were his people after all, in which became blatantly clear as we came into this place.

The people, as I noticed, would quiet their children, cutting out the chatter when he appeared. Their tones would become that of quiet solitude when he passed, whispered 'Kazekage-sama's' flowing from their lips as if on the gentle grasp of breath. He did not seem at all affected by this, nodding his head to each person who spoke, strolling with his hat low and me following behind, completely out of place.

"Don't be so nervous," he stated roughly. A snap but not one that spoke of my disobedience. Just a jutted reply.

I let a breath slip through my lips slowly, letting my shoulders slacken. This was my residence now and I would have to get used to it one way or another. Might as well start now.

As we continued, I watched the curtains in small windows part, children staring and pointing out with astonished eyes before being shooed away by aggravated parents. The smell of cooking meat would sometimes enter the air sharply, out door spits fired up for supper. The market square had nearly emptied by the time we arrived, knowing that it was near dinner now and everyone was returning back to their families, no more wares to sell. Such an interesting place…

"This is it," he stopped. I looked around his shoulder towards a large courtyard leading up into a tall, very official looking building, sandy in colour. It was very impressive, I thought. Impressive indeed. We walked through the courtyard where children were playing freely, their parents sitting on benches with worried expressions. It seemed almost park-like if there was grass. This was the desert though and the only vegetation to speak of so far had been just as Gaara explained… cacti.

I bent my head low, following behind Gaara with quick steps. I really liked this courtyard. It was so lively… so happy.

When we reached the steps to the apparent building, Gaara turned, eyes scanning his city with almost pride visible within them. His hands rested against his hips, a sigh flowing out of his lips as he smirked. "Seems things have been good here."

"Yes, it would seem as such," I replied. "Nothing could go wrong here. You take very good care of your people, Gaara."

"I like that thought," His smile grew. "But, unfortunately, this is a desert. There are a great many things to worry about. Safety is just one of them."

We then proceeded into the building. The Kazekage tower, Naruto had called it once, and a befitting name it seemed. It was almost a completely replica of the Hokage tower back home, just sandy colored.

The inside interior was far more grand than the outside, halls lined with tall, fancy candle holders, floor hard wood with a maroon carpet running across it. The walls were a plain beige, ceiling tall and the same colour as the walls. It was almost gloomy had it not been for the candescent lights from the candles.

Gaara took the hat off his head, shaking his hair like a mane of red before slinging the fastening around his forearm. There was a definite kindheartedness that had not been there before visible in his features. A gentle solemn quality. When his eyes met mine, they were smoldering and warm. A fluid aquamarine that held no harshness or bitterness.

"Well, shall we?" he asked plainly, gesturing his hand towards the hallway. I just nodded, mused by the sight of his eyes. From afar, Sabaku no Gaara was terrifying, but here, up close, there was a childish quality, as if the boy in him never had the chance to come out. How enchanted people would be with this boy if only they came close enough to see his eyes… "Hinata?"

I shook my head, embarrassed. This was not the time to be daydreaming. I walked down the hall, Gaara at my side. Where it lead, I did not know, but if it was anything like the Hokage tower, it would lead to a lobby. I was correct in this assumption.

The lobby in which was at the end of the hall, was filled with shinobi and people who were sending in requests for the Kazekage. The two secretaries that worked at the front counters were busy stamping sheets of paper, taking calls, and dealing with the shinobi and others as quickly and efficiently as possible. I felt sympathy rise within me.

Gaara simply walked past the people and into another doorway, not saying nor mentioning anything to anyone. I followed quickly behind, smiling and bowing my head to the secretaries who smiled back quickly before returning to their tasks.

Another hallway…

"You'll be staying here in the Kazekage tower," Gaara stated plainly. "Your room is on the second floor. You have your own bathroom and kitchen. The food is stocked up once a week but feel free to call for more if need be."

He spoke quickly, trying to leave nothing out as he walked at a brisk pace. I could feel a giggle form but tried not to let it out.

"You'll have a two days rest before your mission is to start," he concluded. "You will report to my office seven o clock sharp, Monday morning."

"Hai," I replied. I had no idea why it was hard to take him seriously now. Maybe because I let him get under my skin? I'm sure he wasn't used to people being under his. This was sure to be an interesting few months.

"Good," he said, nodding. "Now first things first. I'll show you to your room."

As we reached the end of the hallway, having passed several different rooms, we climbed a small section of a large staircase, entering the first exist sign. It lead into a rounded hallway that lead off into two different ways. I'm sure if you started one end, you would be able to walk around and reach the same spot you started.

Gaara turned to the left and walked a few paces before standing in front of the first door.

"This is it?" I asked.

"Yep," he replied. "All yours."

I opened the door inquisitively. Inside looked to be an apartment of a generous size. The kitchen was visible from the doorway as was the living room and a door on the left most likely signifying the bedroom. It was more than I had expected and I was pleased.

"Arigato," I bowed my head to him.

"No need," he stated. "You're going to be a here awhile. Might as well make things comfortable for you."

"Thank you anyways," I smiled. "It is a nice place."

"Well, I should be off to my duties then," he replied. "Settle in. Make yourself at home."

He looked down at me awkwardly, as though he wasn't really ready to leave yet but, in a hesitant move, he pivoted on his heel and walked in the direction of the exit, robes flaring behind him.

"Oh my," I muttered, resting back against the wall when he had exited. This was the first time I'd been away from him in the past three days… and I couldn't believe how much I wished he hadn't gone.

Of course, those were silly thoughts. I was probably just unsure of the place I the fact I didn't know anyone was not a comforting thought. I just wanted him around because he was familiar now. A constant… at least as much as I could tell.

I was exhausted though. More so than I had been in a terribly long time. It would be nice to have some peace and quiet in an air conditioned room.

(Gaara's POV)

A/N: It was requested so I shall oblige ;).

I could feel the annoyance and aggravation grow within me, the paper under my hand one of many pointless requests. As the frustration grew, I slammed the pen against the desk, scrunching the paper in my hand before chucking it at the waste bin beside my desk. Stupid, idiotic people…

It wasn't that I was usually this impatient to be done with my daily tasks. I never was for this was the calm of my day but that girl… why did my mind get caught on that ignorant girl once again? It wasn't as if she was worth the thought or consideration seeing as I wanted nothing to do with her in the first place. I wanted Hyuuga Neji. A fine worker and dedicated. She was… nothing special. Ordinary.

Yet I couldn't stop thinking about her… why was that? There were a great many ordinary girls here, like Matsuri who had been my first apprentice. And many others like her, yet here I sat thinking about the most ordinary of girls in the world.

I stared down at the next request, the same aggravation boiling over. I felt a growl escape my lips as I crumbled the sheet without even reading it. That stupid girl with those brilliant eyes…

With a sigh, I turned, pressing my finger against the button on the other side of my desk. "Hiroyuki?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama," the voice bellowed from the speaker right below the button.

"Send up a pot of tea please," I said. "Mint, and leave it black."

"Right away, Kazekage-sama," the voice said than the speaker went silent.

Yes, tea would be the perfect thing to cure this horrible headache that seemed to form the minute that girl left my sight.

"Kazekage-sama?" The voice boomed again, taking me by surprise. "You have a visitor."

"Who is it?" I asked, annoyance clearly visible within my voice.

"Sabaku Temari, sir," she replied. "She insists your immediate attention."

"Send her in then," I said before turning the speaker off. No more distractions.

Luckily, the tea arrived first, steaming and filling the room with the lovely sent of mint. I could feel my calm returning but, of course, Temari would ruin this. She always did ruin my states of euphoria.

When she arrived, she tore into the room without the decency of knocking, her harsh eyes even more fiery than usual as she slammed her fan against the floor. "No Neji Hyuuga?"

This was not a question, I realized. More of a statement out of anger seeing as, like myself, she had become very dependant on the idea of the Hyuuga being a member of our people. A good mentor, she had stated. A strong person with just authority. Some tiny little girl without a clue in the world how she should act in public was not going to be any sort of mentor Temari wished to acquire.

"No Hyuuga Neji," I stated, resting my chin against my open palm. "Will that be a problem, ane?"

"Will that be a problem?" She repeated, aghast. "Of course that'll be a problem, Gaara!"

I'm sure, if she was anymore angry, steam would be shooting out her ears.

"I'd ask you to keep your calm in my presence," I stated, pinching the bridge of my nose. "At least while I'm working. Your tantrums aren't going to solve the problem at hand and, as it has turned out, they could not spare Hyuuga Neji."

"Did you not insist?" She rested her hand against her hip, nostrils flaring. "Could you have not tried to offer something in return maybe? Hokage Naruto is your friend after all…"

"He made it very clear that Neji was not available," I said. "Hyuuga Hinata will do a just enough job at what she was assigned to do. Lets leave it at that, kay?"

"I thought you'd be much angrier than me," she huffed. "Seeing as you wished for Neji's presence here as much as I. This girl must be something special."

"Far from," I murmured, before turning away. "She's as ordinary as it gets. Her eyes may be useful enough to your campaigns though."

"Ani," she rested her hands against the desk, staring at me with curiosity. "You are not angry. Why is that?"

"There is no need to be," I replied, my stomach knotting. "I am quite content with the trade. She'll serve her purpose."

"But not as well as Hyuuga Neji would," Temari murmured. "And I know how much you hate it when things don't run as smoothly as they should… I would suspect you to be in a fit of rage, or at least some form of… shall we say, viciousness?"

"I don't quite know what you're getting at Temari but if it doesn't have to do with the exchange than I would ask you to leave…"

"Who is she?" Temari asked, smiling. "She pretty?"

"By she, you mean Hyuuga-sama?" I asked, raising a none existent eyebrow. "I highly doubt that's any of your business…"

"Either you tell me, oh one of little faith, or I shall see for myself," she chuckled, eyes lit up with the prospect of such amusement. "And you know, I would only make things worse for you by doing as such…"

"Yes, I think she is very pretty," I stated bluntly, "but that has absolutely nothing to do with anything so again, please leave."

"Huffy, huffy," she chuckled, turning to leave with a wicked smirk across her cheeks. "Maybe this isn't so bad after all. The exchange I mean. You need a little more stimulation in your life, ani."

"Temari!" I raged but she had already exited. How troublesome…

I looked down at the papers on my desk, teeth sinking into my lower lip. Fuck this.

(break)

A/N this is back in Hinata's POV by the way .

Kazekage-sama… Sabaku-san, Gaara-dono.. Gaa-san.. Gaara. I don't think any other way of saying his name felt quite as right as saying Gaara. And as much as I hated to admit it, I loved the way it rang. How it flowed off the tongue in such a simplistic tone.

I stared at the ceiling, watching with humored eyes as the line of shadow furthered its journey along the flat white surface before finally engulfing it in black. Night had come and, as I laid here thinking of things I really shouldn't have been thinking about, I had a sneaky suspicion that these thoughts were something I would encounter a lot more through the growing days.

I wanted to forget about the thought of him. Just push it out of my mind and get on with life but he was taking over every thought that used to spur so easily for Naruto… no that was not true at all. Naruto was everything. Gaara was… well Gaara, and to me he could never be any form of substitute for Naruto-san.

Yet, why was it that Naruto did not invade my daydreams anymore? That the only image I saw was a red-haired male staring back at me with the softest aquamarine eyes…

Stop it, Hinata. Get yourself together… these are not the thoughts I was to be thinking of especially at this time.

I got up, stretching my sore muscles out in an attempt at ridding myself of silly thoughts. Maybe sleep would cure these delusions from my mind… yes that's all I needed. Some sleep and a good dose of it too. The desert heat had probably just drove me loopy.

I stumbled to my bedroom, groaning. Sand was much harder to walk in than grass, that was for sure…

The bed, as I had seen before, was immaculately made and very large. I was used to the small beds in which fit neatly in each room at the Hyuuga compound, housing all of the members of the clan comfortably. This was… sheer materialism and I was about to bask in the wonderful softness of an ocean of sheets.

I dove into the sheets, forgetting about the tender muscles. It would be so nice to sleep in a bed again. I could feel the sleep dwelling on me like some horrible force, and, without any difficulty whatsoever, I fell unconscious.

Of course, this did not stop the awakening that came shortly after.

"Hyuuga-san?" That voice… was I dreaming? "Hyuuga-sama, wake up."

I blinked my eyes open, furious. It was still nearly blanket dark in my room, signaling that morning had yet to arise. I squinted, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness that surrounded me. "W-what?"

"I couldn't sleep," the voice replied.

Huffing, I sat up. The voice was familiar, yet I could not put voice to face in this state of stupor. I rubbed my eyes, nose scrunched. "And you came here because?"

"I cant really answer that question," the voice replied. "At the time, it seemed like a good idea."

"Count sheep than or something," I said, yawning loudly. "What time is it anyways?"

"2:30," he replied. "And trust me, that whole counting sheep thing really doesn't work."

"You didn't need to wake me up though in the process," I said, opening my eyes wider. The more awake I became, the more my stomach knotted at the sound of the voice.

"It was a mistake," he replied. "I will leave."

I watched the silhouette turn towards the door, opening it quickly as the light from the living room spilled in, colouring his pale skin and crimson hair. My throat got very dry at this point.

"Gaara?" I asked, shocked.

He looked back at me, head cocked to the side. "Yes?"

"Wait," I replied, still in a state of shock though I felt extremely bad from my previous actions. I was irritable when awoken out of deep sleep. "Back it up. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for," he stated plainly. "I interrupted your sleep rudely. It was unjust of me and I shall be going."

He turned again as if the matter was closed. "Gaara!"

His eyes turned towards me again, curious.

"You said you couldn't sleep?" I asked.

He nodded, free hand resting against his hip.

"You can stay here if you like." I said, my cheeks colouring though he could not see this. "There's more than enough room and maybe you'll get some sleep away from your room."

"That is very generous of you," he said, bowing his head to me. "I will take you up on this offer, if that is alright with you."

I barely nodded, gulping. I had expected him to decline, thinking that it was inappropriate to do such a thing but, as usual, Gaara surprised me with his strange way of doing the polar opposite of what I believed he would do. He shut the door, the room once again dark.

I waited, holding my breath as the end of the bed creaked. I shifted myself closer to the other side of the bed, hoping that he would be okay with the amount of room still left in the bed. I watched with curious eyes as his silhouette rested beside me, body turned in my direction. He was shirtless, sweatpants low-waisted. He was closer than I thought he would be.

"Thank you," he said. "You can sleep now if you want."

I nodded, unsure if he could see it as I buried myself under the blankets quickly. The blood in my cheeks only furthered as I waited, wanting sleep to come again.

It was hard though, knowing that he was right there. How could I sleep now when he was so close to me? I tried to keep the image of two separate sleeping bags as was in our tent. The idea of being separated in some manner… yes that would be good… I think.

I turned away from him so that I was facing the wall. I should have just sent him away when I had the chance…

"Good night, Hinata," he murmured. I flinched.

"Good night, Gaara," I replied.

* * *

No lemons for you yet, muahaha. I'm trying to build up lots of tension :). You know, try to get the characters to be like 'Oh shit, this is happenining'. :) I hope you liked the chapter and really, tell me what you think. Next chapter will be entering us into our 'plot-line' I hope you know. Thank you for reading and I love you all!


	5. Chapter 5: Ready to Break

Chapter 5: Here Goes Nothing

A/N: I'm starting this off in Gaara's POV just to kind of balance out his thought process on what happened .

(Gaara's POV)

Why had I decided to come here?

I blinked my eyes open, warmth of the morning sun filling the room with soft, candescence. The girl who was now underneath my arm, fast asleep, was another thing I was having a troubled time understanding. It wasn't as if I had planned to come here, or that it was imperative at the time that I should, in fact, come see her, but I did.

Silly human emotions. They didn't make any sense to me. If Shukaku was here, he'd tell me what I should be doing and how I should be dealing with the situation at hand. None of this petty confusion. Girls like her, he would say, are too ordinary.

I watched with hinted amusement as she mumbled something in her sleep before snuggling up closer. Nothing she would do if aware, I was sure, but I couldn't help the smirk that formed. How utterly ordinary.

Maybe it was that persistent headache. The dull thudding in my head when I wasn't near her. I'm sure it wasn't her that caused the silly headache but moreover my own thoughts causing mischief in my head making my daily routines meaningless and dull. Least when I was here the headache was gone.

I stared at her sleeping face. A soft personality she had. Very soft and very gentle. It did not seem at all like her countenance to be so brutal and upfront. Of course, even I did not like being brutal and upfront. Shukaku much preferred that position and I let him seeing as he was quite good at what he did.

Now that I was the only voice in my head, it was hard trying to piece things together. To make my own opinions towards anything that had human emotion attached. I'm a good leader, I think. I take care of my people and do as a leader should without letting human emotion interfere, but when it came to people I was completely useless.

Especially her. This girl under my arm. Why I could not understand this need to be near furthered this horrible pounding in my head, at least till I was near again.

Oh well. She would be gone in a few months and I wouldn't need to worry of such petty things. Out of my life once more. Yes, it seemed all who were close would disappear and leave me far behind them, not that I was complaining or anything. I much preferred being alone.

Her eyes started to open, blinking softly before peeking open. First she was calm as if the situation did not affect her. She looked up at me, her expression that of soft befuddlement lips parting as if to say something.

Than, with a bright astonishment, she pushed back against my chest, screeching. I could feel a nonexistent brow raise, wondering what was so wrong with her. She just looked at me, pupil-less eyes wide with shock and mouth agape.

"What?" I stated bluntly.

"Why… how did you get here… wait…" she looked down, eye own brows knit together as she pieced whatever needed to be placed together in her own mind. "And how… but why?"

"Don't be so dramatic," I huffed, lying on my back now.

I flicked my eyes towards her again, wondering where these emotions would take her. She was staring at me, face a brilliant shade of crimson and nose scrunched.

"I-I'm sorry Gaara-san," she stated mildly, her eyes looking down now as if ashamed.

"For?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I just thought it would be best of me to say sorry."

"Well, there's nothing to apologize for," I murmured, sitting up now. "Don't be irrational. You fell asleep as I did and we woke up. I don't see any form of an issue with that."

"Of course you don't," she muttered, turning away from me. She raised her hand to her mouth than, shocked she had spoken her thoughts so blatantly.

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked. It was not angered, or a frustrated tone. I merely asked.

"Nothing," she murmured. "Shouldn't you be getting to your duties or something?"

"It's Saturday," I replied. "Even a Kazekage needs a day off."

She looked at me, brows furrowed and eyes sharp. "Is that so."

"But, if you really want it of me, I will leave," I said, standing up now. It was nice to stretch after a surprisingly good sleep. Anyways, dealing with Temari would not be the greatest of all things in the world to do seeing as I did not, in fact, go home last night.

"You don't have to," she murmured, pulling her knees up to her chest, face pink. I smirked. Ordinary, yes, but cute she was also.

"No need to further you anymore distraught then I seemed to already have caused," I stated. "But I'll come visit."

"Good," she smiled, looking up at me again. "And maybe you could give me a tour of your city?"

"I'm sure anyone could handle doing that…"

"But," she cut in. "There's no one here who sees this place like you do. I want to see it from your standpoint, Gaara. I want to know what makes it so special to you."

I smirked before taking a turn towards the door. "You really want to know?"

"Yes…"

"I'll be back around noon, and dress lightly," I replied. "The deserts a hot place."

I than walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me. Hopefully she would heed that warning… I could feel a smirk rise to my cheeks. Yes, she wanted to see what made this place so special to me. I hoped she was ready for that.

(Hinata's POV/ break)

How strange. I paced back and forth, bare feet skirting across the cool hardwood flooring. The desert was a strange place, of that I was sure, but as to where he would be taking me was something I was curious about nonetheless.

As the clock ticked, I ran my fingers through my short locks, body slouching. How long had I been waiting? Longer than I should have, as I looked up at the clock with disdain. I had been pacing impatiently since eleven o clock, thinking maybe he would come early and having nothing better to do. As the clock ticked, noon came closer and so did my excitement further. An afternoon with Gaara, no strings attached. Yes, this would be a good day… hopefully. He was Gaara after all, and unpredictable to a fault, as what I was learning in the small time span I knew him

Yes, Gaara-san was strange.

I stared at the door, willing it to fill the room with noise in which still had yet to come. That small tapping that would signify his arrival. Why had it yet to come?

I looked up at the clock once more. Three minutes after noon. He was running late, but late was not necessarily true as it was only three minutes. If he was a half hour late, than I should be worried, ne? Not this horrible bubbling in the pit of my stomach when he did not show up after a few measly minutes.

I shook my head, fingers pinching the bridge of my nose. Get yourself together, Hinata. None of this silly impatience.

When the knock finally came, I had nearly jumped out of my seat, hand reaching out towards the door rapidly. I pulled it open with a quick twist of the wrist, his eyes the first thing I saw. God, were they beautiful… He was dressed in what must have been his regular attire. A maroon outfit, but not light and airy such as my own. His had long sleeves and full length pants, the jacket he wore, bellowing down past his waist, towards his knees. Yes, this was far from something I thought I would see on a person used to the desert. (A/N: you know the outfit he wore in Shippuden when he was resurrected? Yeah, that outfit).

He looked at me with no confusion as he pivoted. "lets go."

I followed behind instinctively, trying to keep pace with his long strides. When had Gaara ever been this tall? The last time I had seen him, he was the same height as me, if not smaller. He had always been so short but now he towered above, his build far more strong than it had ever been. I had to admit, it was a nice change.

We exited the building in the same fashion, though I slipped my feet into a pair of shoes while we walked which had been tougher than I expected. He rarely slowed…

As we travelled, I fiddled with the backpack I carried on my shoulders. Yes, this was a good idea I brought it. I filled up the small rucksack with bottles of water and other such necessities that might be necessary on our little voyage as I did not know how long it would be until I was able to drink again. The desert was a hot place, as he said, and it was better not to be dehydrated.

I realized though, as we continued on, that we were heading straight towards the gate that lead outside of the village. With growing anxiety, I followed, my movements much more tense then they had been before. When he reached the guards at the gate, he nodded pleasantly to them and past straight into the tunnel that lead out into the desert. I could feel a lump rise up into my throat, heart beating rapidly. The desert… I was not fond of being in it.

But I was with Gaara. I would be alright as long as I was with Gaara.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my feet sinking into the coarse sand. Gaara stepped on it with light feet, his barely slipping at all as if he had been walking on grass. I watched the with envy, wondering how I would ever keep up. It was hard enough keeping up with him when we first entered the desert but this… to be walking in the desert on my day off? Hopefully this wasn't all we'd be doing.

"A special place," he replied smoothly. "The only place that's… externally beautiful in all of Suna."

I glanced up at him, wondering what he meant by that. There seemed only to be sand everywhere and anywhere.

"Don't worry," Gaara chuckled, smirking. "It's a short walk."

And so it began. Our trek into the desert. I knew from the minute he said it was a short walk that it wouldn't be, and my assumptions had been correct. Sand filled my running shoes with each step, the sun blazing down on us fiercely. I could feel my skin burn under its scorching rays, shielding my eyes with the palm of my hand. It had been two hours since we first started, my body flushed and heavy from walking through the fine grains. How much more I could take, I couldn't tell you. I was definitely feeling the affects of the sun though.

When the large rock first became visible, it seemed so small and so far away, but as we came closer, it started to become much larger than I ever thought possible. A mountain of black rock, so tall and wide, it seemed beyond comprehension. Gaara was heading straight towards it, not even a bead of sweat visible across his brow. How he was not dying of heat, I wasn't quite sure, and I was very jealous that he seemed so at ease.

He walked forwards, the mountain of stone shadowing down on us, the shade a rather nice comfort. He than stopped and turned to me, the smile quite visible across his face. "This is it."

"This rock?" I asked, confused.

"Yes," he replied. "This rock."

I stared at it, wondering what he could have possibly seen on this rock that was beautiful. As embarrassed as I was, frustrated I was more. If we had walked two hours in the desert to see a rock, I didn't know what I was going to do. I just stared blankly, wondering what hidden secret this rock could contain.

"Follow," Gaara stated plainly, heading even closer towards the rock. Maybe it was some sort of really nice rock? I shook my head, confused.

As we came closer, a small opening in the rock became visible. A cave entrance it seemed, and as black and endless as ever. The knot in my stomach furthered to grow.

"We're going in there?" I asked, wrapping my arms around my stomach. I was not a fan of dark spaces and… well that was a very dark space. I bit down on my lip, watching as he entered the cave, fingers reaching out to feel the edges of stone.

Building up the courage, I followed, the bite mark on my lip rather deep.

The walk in the cave was easier than walking in sand, of which I learned. It smelled of sulfur, and water droplets could be heard all throughout the small cavern. That and Gaara's footsteps were the only things I could hear.

As I caught the first bit of light, I could feel my excitement grow again. Yes, being outside of this cave would be truly wonderful. I quickened my pace, as did Gaara, my feet slipping on the wet rocks… the rocks were wet… how could they be wet?

That's when we entered the small area, my mouth agape of my heart fluttering.

The area was small, yes, but lush and so beautifully alive. A water spring shot up from beneath the ground, filling a small pool that was surrounded by soft green foliage. Ferns of all sorts, and all of this was surrounded by the giant black rock.

Beside the pool of water, there was a small edge of grass, large enough for a few people to sit on comfortably, but still very small as the grass was overgrow and the ferns that grew off the sides of the walls reached in. I could feel my body relax, the sudden beauty of this place very intoxicating.

Gaara merely walked along the side of the wall, his feet quick and graceful till meeting the small patch of grass where he sat without a word. His eyes stared at the cool water, hands gentle in his lap as he waited for me to join him.

"It's absolutely amazing," I said, my lips quivering. How could a place like this even exist in the desert?

"Yes, I think so," Gaara replied, his fingers skimming across the cool water gently. "Underground springs all throughout Suna lead to this one place and, where all the springs meet, it comes up to pool here under this granite rock."

"How did you find this place?" I asked, sitting down beside him.

"I've known of it ever since I was a child," he replied, smiling softly to himself. "I often wandered the desert, searching for something that was not anything I'm sure I could have found. This place was a bonus, I guess, and a much treasured childhood memory. I have been coming here since I was eight years old."

"It's very beautiful."

"Yes," he said, nodding. "Beautiful."

I did not know what to say. His quiet intensity was hard to understand and utterly brilliant. I could not imagine a more wonderful sight than his face. How could I love this place when he was here? Just as the stars were so beautiful yet when he was by my side, they meant very little.

"I think I'm going for a swim," he stated, unzipping his jacket rather quickly. I watched with wide eyes as he pulled of his shirt and unbuckled his pants. My horror was quickly ended though when he jumped into the cold water, boxers still intact. He resurfaced, sighing happily. "You should come in."

"No, that's alright," I replied, my cheeks burning. "I think I'll be quite happy on dry land."

"You sure?" he replied, glancing up at me with the most beautiful smoldering eyes. "the water is great."

I shook my head, embarrassed. There was no need to show anymore of my body than was absolutely necessary.

His lips pulled into a hard line before finally smirking mischievously. Before I knew it, he was splashing me with water, soaking my clothes unfortunately so. I grumbled, glancing down at him with a furrowed brow. "Was that really necessary?"

"I thought so," he replied smoothly. "Now that you're wet, will you come in?"

"And let you win so easily?" I asked. "I don't think so."

"Than you leave me no choice." I watched with horror as he grabbed my ankle and dragged me in, cold water splashing up around me. The shock was great, icy needles piercing my skin rather sharply before my temperature finally got used to it. The smile on his face never faltered as I splashed around like a fish out of water, ironically. His chuckles resonated against the walls of the giant rock.

"Why would you do that?" I whined, trying to keep myself afloat as my frustration grew. "I was trying to stay dry for the trek home."

"We'll dry out before we leave," he said, swimming closer. There were those horrible butterflies again. "And anyways, its no fun swimming alone, now is it."

I grimaced, turning away from him. No need to let my guard down to him now, especially after he pulled a stunt like that. "You really need to think about what other people feel before you pull stuff like that. It's not very nice."

"But its fun," he said. I was glad I couldn't see his face. If so, I was sure I would have purely agreed with him without giving up much of a fight.

"Alls fun till someone gets hurt," I stated childishly. "And I could have gotten hurt by you pulling me in so rashly…"

I felt his hand on my shoulder turn me abruptly, free hand grasping the side of my waist as he pushed me against the wall. His body pinned me there, my breath catching dangerously within my throat.

"You talk to much, you know that?" he replied, pressing his lips against mine in a chaste kiss.

Each butterfly popped, sending chills all throughout my body. How amazing this felt, I could not describe. All I knew was this was beyond anything I could have imagined, and truly bittersweet it also felt. Why had he done this?

As he pulled away, I bit down on my lip, his hands holding me close still. "I thought you said you weren't stupid enough to kiss a shinobi."

"I changed my mind," he replied. "Something told me it was about time I tried that, and I'm glad I did."

He leaned in again, capturing my lips with his, and I could feel the tension grow within it. The need to push forward, to make the kiss deeper. I pushed him away, though, quite roughly.

"Gaara, I'm your apprentice," I replied blatantly, my body aching to be in his grip again. "I-I cant do this."

"Its just a kiss," he stated, head cocked to the side. "I don't see the harm in a kiss."

"Of course you don't," I said, my heart thumping so loudly, I was afraid he could hear it himself. "Because you don't feel anything for me."

I swam back towards the open patch of grass, pulling myself up out of the water. I couldn't bear to look at him again, though I knew what his face should look like. Ashamed that he had done something purely for the act, or maybe annoyed and frustrated that he couldn't get what he wanted. Maybe he had that same, expressionless face that he always bore no matter how much he should feel even something… I really shouldn't have come here.

"I don't feel anything for you?" He asked. It was not an angry question, moreover his curiosity was visibly there. "Is that true?"

I turned my gaze towards him, and his face was truly that; confused.

"Shukaku would have told me this before," he said, staring down at the water. "but Shukaku isn't here to tell me these things anymore. If you say I do not feel anything for you, than is that true?"

"Can you not decide for yourself?" I stated. It was hard to stay angry though, his face so full of confusion.

"No," he murmured, shaking his head. "Because I decided for myself, and you pushed me away."

He pushed himself up out of the water, the expression across his face that of a child, moreover. Someone who couldn't figure things out without a bit of guidance, and he was searching for it.

"Hinata," he said, voice blank but not emotionless. "Hinata, I think I want to kiss you more."

I shook my head, tears pricking my eyes uncomfortably so. How badly I wanted to kiss him. How much I had wished he would kiss me. I wouldn't, though. I couldn't. "Gaara, I can't do this."

He sat at the edge of the water, pulling his knees up to his chest. I can't remember how many times I had done that in his presence. All I knew, though, was that it was odd coming from him. That he was always so sure of his movements. To watch him curling up within himself made him look so weak, and I couldn't believe how much it hurt me to see it.

"I don't understand," he said, resting his head in the palm of his hands. "I don't know what I'm feeling. I don't know why I'm feeling it, but it hurts and it won't go away. My heart hurts. Why does my heart hurt?"

"Gaara?"

"I shouldn't have done this," he muttered under his breath. "I shouldn't have let you under my skin. Every thought of you makes the hurt worse."

I crawled over to his side, placing my hand against his forearm. He flinched immediately, head sinking deeper whilst his body collapsed on himself. It dawned on me then and there.

"Why did you kiss me, Gaara?" I asked, colour rising to my cheeks as I did so.

After a few seconds of not answering, he finally raised his head enough so that he could look at me, frown a devastating look that pierced my heart almost instantly. When he spoke, his voice was the same voice I had known it to be – cold, empty, lackluster – but the words left a lasting impression on my skin. "Because I wanted to."

It was quite clear then that he had kissed me not because he had wanted gratification.

I let my hand reach out, albeit slowly, and cup his cheek in a manner I had never expected I would do for anyone at all. He had turned his eyes to meet mine, nonexistent brows furrowed and eyes filled with confusion as I leaned in, unsure of my movements. When my lips pressed against his, I could feel the air dissipate in my lungs, fingers trembling and stomach knotting uncomfortably tight.

When I pulled away, I searched his eyes, wishing to see the confusion disappear only to be met with wanting, scorching ones. Eyes that made it very hard to concentrate at all as I lost my sense of self.

"Again," he said. And I did.

I let him unfold me. I let him take me in his arms and rest me against the soft, green grass. I let him deepen our kiss, leaving me breathless and without want. When he bored of that, I let his lips wander. And every second caused my stomach to knot with excitement. Every touch, every kiss, every moment with him was like walking on clouds, and I lost any sense of self. With him, I was not Hinata. With him, I was a girl.

His hands pulled at the hem of my shirt, his urgency becoming all to clear. It was plainly obvious that he knew what he was doing which made me feel a little bit nervous and, as much as I didn't want to admit it, a little bit disappointed. If I let him, he would be my first. If he took things as far as he wanted, I would give him something he couldn't return.

"Stop me," he muttered in my ear, breath hot and heavy against the sensitive skin.

His hands were running up my shirt now, playing across the flesh as an expert might. His mouth went back to my neck, body pressing down against me as if in desperation. I wanted to press back but his words reverberated through my head as if on repeat. I couldn't ignore them.

"G-Gaara," I whimpered, pressing my hands against his chest as if to push him off. "Gaara, I can't stop you."

His left hand was getting dangerously close to my chest which was dissolving a good portion of my control. The desires of a woman were blooming within me and I wanted nothing more than for him to explore my body for himself.

"This is much too good," he growled, voice raspy and sending waves of desire through me. "You don't want me."

When his hand smoothed across my left breast, I could feel a gasp pass through my lips. Enough of a noise to pull him from his prior ministrations as he checked my face with the a worried expression. His hand moved away from my breast, brows furrowed. "Hinata?"

"I'm scared," I murmured, turning my head away from his. "And I don't know what I'm doing."

"I'm doing something wrong," Gaara said. He was pulling away now, shame written across his features as if carved in stone. The God's themselves couldn't make my heart ache like he did now. "I don't know how to not hurt people."

"You're not hurting me," I said. "No, Gaara, you're not hurting me at all."

He turned his head in my direction once more, expressionless eyes searching for any form of meaning he wasn't getting. "I want to possess you."

His words brought goose-bumps to my skin. "You already have me. There's no question about it."

"But I don't want to hurt you," he said, deliberating. "You are fragile, glassy. A beautiful thing in a harsh place with someone just as harsh. You know this."

"And I accept it."

"No," he shook his head. "No, I don't think you could."

He stood up, stretching his legs and turning his back to me. I feared the emotion I couldn't see. I feared the fact that the tears would fall if he didn't look at me. I feared that he would never look at me again. When I stood up, my legs shook and wavered, lips trembling as I waited for him to face me just once more.

And he did just that. As he turned, his face held nothing. Not the confusion and childishness that had previously became known to me nor the light crack of a smile that showed the depths of the soul he didn't know he had. Merely a cold, listless face that betrayed nothing. "Lets go home."

We did just that.

* * *

Alright guys so that was chapter 5. I do realize I'm being quite a bit of a tease with their relationship now, but I just couldn't jump into it too quickly ;D.

Either way, I know that its been… a year since I last updated? Unfortunately, I haven't been on fanfiction in ages so coming back is kind of strange for me. If this picks up, I'll continue coming back, but since its been inactive for so long, I'm unsure if that'll be the case.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll be back with something a little spicier next time!

Sabaku-Kazekage


	6. Chapter 6: Holocene

Chapter 6:

The truth was, I was starting to think that maybe he was right.

It had been a week since the little make-out session. A week since Gaara last looked at me. A week and what had I learned from the whole scenario? A whole lot of nothing.

It was better if he wasn't kissing me, or touching me, or making me forget my purpose for being here. I was a lot stronger than what the situation entailed, and I would make my village proud if I could keep my head on straight.

Just that, for some strange reason, it felt like a loss.

I suppose it wasn't helping that I'd been assigned to paperwork and minimal tasks. I was rarely ever away from the small desk he had set up for me in the main office, and though I had mentioned on more than one occasion that I had been interested in mission work, he didn't respond. He just kept working, leading, avoiding me like the plague.

And here I was, living up to my 'full potential' while watching the clock tick.

Today was an especially boring day. I had been tasked with requests. Sorting out the important ballads from the blanks and jokes, trying to keep my anger from boiling. Gaara was across the room, reading through a rather thick folder. By reading, it seemed more of an attempt at skimming, seeing as he flipped through each page at rapid speed, facial features not reflecting whether the task displeased him or not. He looked tired, though. If anything, he seemed downright exhausted.

Finally, and with some surprise, he slammed the folder down. "Fuck this."

I stared, wide-eyed, as he stood, sliding the chair out noisily behind him. There was a heavy frustration creasing his brow as he shoved his arms behind his back before beginning a rather jagged pace. I counted his footfalls, keeping my shoulders tight as his fury emanated.

"You okay?"

"No."

I stacked the papers in front of me, trying to keep as cool as possible. "Do you need to take a break?"

"I am taking a break," he said, the sound a hiss.

I eyed him. "You're sleeping, right?"

He grimaced, but didn't slow his pace.

"I'm not going to mother you, but maybe you should go take a nap," I said, keeping my eyes low.

"You don't get it," he grumbled, continuing in the same sporadic rage-walk.

"What don't I get?"

"_It_," he growled, stopping in front of my desk. His hands slammed into the glossy mahogany, aqua eyes meeting mine with a certain amount of ferocity. "I _can't_ sleep."

My stomach knotted, eyes wide. "Kazekage-sama…"

"Just don't. You're dismissed," he said, and with that he stormed out of the office.

The feeling of loss seemed to double in that moment.

(break)

"Just fuck her," Temari said, sighing with a certain amount of impatience as she slouched against the countertop in the ample kitchen of their home outside the Kazekage tower. "You're never going to give it a rest until you stick it in her and end this, for your own sake as well as mine."

"And mine!" Kankuro added from the living room, where he'd been reading some rather racy magazines. "Damn, your mood swings are starting to kill my mojo, bro."

"I didn't come here for advice," I grumbled, face buried in my hands. I was at that point where everything pissed me off. Small things too, like the fact that Temari left her empty glass unwashed in the sink, or how there was a scuff on the linoleum that I couldn't manage to fix. Even the uneven swing of the ceiling fan sent my nerves over the edge, and I couldn't manage to breathe it out long enough to find peace.

"We weren't offering advice," she said. "You're going to fuck her."

"That's not an option."

"Of course it's an option!" Kankuro called. "You're the Kazekage. If she's not waiting in your office with her legs spread, you can color me surprised."

"You're both disgusting."

Temari rolled her eyes, placing the small fan on the counter before pulling herself up away from the countertop. Her hand grasped my shoulder in a way that should have symbolized some form of a sisterly affection, if she hadn't dug her nails in. "You need to get some sleep, bro. Fuck her and our problems are solved."

"I'm not going to sleep with her."

She sighed even louder than the first time, placing herself back against the countertop. "Then run yourself to death. Either or, you're going to have to stop one of those days, and the sooner might be the better. After all, you're starting to freak people out."

"By people, she means us," Kankuro added.

"No, fucktard, I mean people," she hissed. "His people. People in general. If he fucks her, we might actually manage to find a way of repairing the damage he's managed to cause in disrupting the very fabric of Suna itself. You know how freaked out you've made everyone?"

"They'll survive."

"You're their Kazekage, douche," she shoved me, eyes narrowing. "Now stop being a douche and fuck that Hyuuga slut so we can all get some peace and quiet-."

I boiled over.

I suppose it wasn't all that great of a shock I had pinned her head against the countertop, hands encasing her throat in a wild, uncontrollable rage. I was angry, and she made me furious to a point that I could see red in my pupils. The kind of rage I hadn't felt since Shukaku burned my veins coarse.

It was an instantaneous thing, the way Kankuro came and pulled my hands away from her, and the yelling and screeching that ensued seemed mutely and contrite. I wasn't listening. I was barely paying any attention at all. I was just too tired, and too angry to cool down from the state I was mangled in.

And then, all the sudden, I was back.

"Don't you ever fucking call her a slut again or I will kill you!" I growled, feeling Kankuro's hand against my chest as he stood between her and I, the look on her surprised face filled with confusion and hurt and, worst of all, anger. She was livid.

"You better get your shit together, brother," she responded, teeth clenched. And with that she stormed off.

"Nice going, Gaara," Kankuro shoved me off, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Real fucking smooth."

"I won't have her talking about Hinata like that," I stated. No shame. I was not going to regret my actions. "And you better keep your sly thoughts to yourself, too. I am in no mood for your stale commentaries."

Kankuro just shook his head and walked off, too. I sat back down, resting my head against the palms of my hands once more, trying desperately to keep my thoughts away from how utterly annoying everything was.

Unfortunately, my efforts were quite in vain.

(break)

He was angry. Angrier than I had ever seen him before, and I had been a cause for it. At least, I felt there had to be some kind of connection between my presence and his lack of sleep. Had he not spent the first night with me for those very reasons?

I had been pacing – a similar frustration walk as the one Gaara had been portraying earlier – trying to understand how or why he wasn't sleeping, and if there was anything I could do to help. Not that there was, really. He had riled me up and denied me quite as quickly, and I had been the one patiently waiting for him to say something to me.

But he wasn't going to say anything to me. He made that quite clear at the spring.

I sighed, flopping myself at the end of my bed with a certain amount of annoyance. This was definitely not what I wanted when I first heard of the exchange program. I had hoped for culture, and strain, and difficulty. I had hoped to improve, and yet the only thing I had managed to do was develop a mild crush on the very leader who was supposed to be training me. A mild crush that had appeared to get me into some rather ridiculous difficulties over the first little while that it was becoming more and more obvious that maybe this whole thing was a bad idea.

And I liked Gaara. In a way. I liked the way he saw things, and spoke, and the naivety of things that I was also rather naïve about, but not to such a degree. And, I thought, maybe it was good that he reciprocated, or that, if he had been so mild on the subject before, maybe he could simply return back to the state of which I had idolized him, to some certain degree. But this didn't happen. Not even a little bit.

All the while, I would sit and wait and hope that maybe, just maybe, things could find some semblance of normality. If we were friends, or even just boss and employee, I would still get more out of it than this passive aggressive behavior he brought on himself.

The more I thought about it, the more it made me angry.

I wasn't really an angry person by nature. I was shy, and this was not altogether a good thing either, but people amazed me in their bluntness. How they could depict the things that made them tick by just screwing up their face and letting a torrent of words out of their lips. Why couldn't I do this? Why couldn't I tell the ones who made me angry that I was angry?

I dug my face in the pillow, wanting to scream but not having even the nature enough to do that. Instead, I defaulted to my second favourite thing. The tears starting spilling over, and I began sobbing like a child.

The knocks resounding only a few moments later. I responded as a moody teenage girl might, with a loud and unfortunately whiny 'leave me alone' that came out muffled by the pillow I face-planted. After a good thirty seconds or so, a few more knocks resounded. This time, I didn't respond. I ignored it and waited for the perpetrator to leave.

When the door opened, I felt a sigh pass through my lips, pulling my face from the white fabric just to meet with the very rampant and very needy eyes of the Kazekage-sama himself.

"I want you," he said, voice exasperated. "I need you and I want you."

I rolled over, turning away from him. "Go away, Gaara. I don't want to see you."

There was a pause. A silence where neither of us moved or said a thing. And, for that moment, I felt a certain amount of regret. This quickly changed.

"I can't eat, can't sleep," he said, breaking this silence by pacing. His footfalls were heavy, and his voice sporadic. "I can't think without something annoying me to the point of rage. I even tried to strangle my sister this afternoon and all because I can't handle not having you."

He stopped, and I could feel his stare, hard and penetrating.

"I want you and the more I think about having you, the more frustrated I get." His breathing was jagged. It sounded dangerous. "And I can't justify it because you're good, and good things shouldn't be possessed. But God damn, your very presence is driving me mad."

I stared at him, wide-eyed. The way he spoke was frightening, and for the first time, I felt scared of him. Scared of what he could do. The turmoil was there, and the frustration was there, and the more it built up, the more chance things could go sour quickly. I was testing the patience of an ex serial killer. I was playing with fire.

"Gaara, you need to calm down."

"I can't calm down," he said, pacing again.

"I need you to calm down," I said. "You're scaring me."

He stopped, turning his eyes towards me, brows furrowed. It was just enough of a statement to stop him in his tracks. I was afraid it would have the opposite effect, but apparently my spur of the moment seemed to have spurred in my favor.

"I would never hurt you," he said, brows furrowing. "I'm angry and frustrated and annoyed because I don't want to hurt you. I want you but I don't want what I could do to you."

"What could you do to me?" I asked. I could feel the tremor in my voice. "Could you kill me."

"No," he shook his head. "No, never. I couldn't… I couldn't live with myself."

"You could injure me?"

He paused, the pain there now. Physical pain that was viable and real. He pinched the bridge of his nose before responding with a somber, "yes."

I bit my lip, turning my eyes away from the confusing mess in front of me, not knowing how or where or why. And how I could have gotten myself into this situation. I thought he was beautiful, but until this very moment, I was never afraid of him.

"You need to sleep," I said, then reluctantly patted the space beside me. "You can sleep when you're next to me?"

"Yes," he said.

"Then come here," I murmured, shuffling over to give him more room. It was awkward, and I was frightened, but sleep would calm him. Cure him. He would be okay if only he could calm down. "We'll take a nice long nap, okay?"

He nodded this time, and the vulnerable Gaara I saw in by the spring seemed to have emerged underneath the darker, angrier version. I was surprised, and almost enchanted by the look of defeat as he untied the Kazekage robes and slid in under the sheets in a t-shirt and briefs. His eyes closed the moment his head hit the pillow, though his brows were furrowed.

I slipped my socks off and removed my lilac jacket before curling in, a good foot away from him. This didn't appear to do, though, as he shuffled about, rolling this way and that for the first little while. I wasn't tired, which made the whole thing very strange and odd, and I couldn't help but watch him with a certain amount of misery.

Finally his eyes opened, the confusion and pain so clouded and in brief intervals that it was hard to catch a reading on how he was coping. When he spoke, he sounded exhausted. "Can I hold you?"

I nodded hesitantly, before inching a little bit closer to him. He followed suit, wrapping his free arm around my waist, my fingers clutching at the base of his collarbone. It was strange, and I felt odd watching his half-lidded eyes finally close, and his sallow breaths even. For some strange, ridiculous reason, this seemed to be enough.

He was asleep, and nothing but a child was left when he departed in dreams. A vulnerable thing that breathed deep and looked so carefree. So without fear or hesitation. It was disconcerting to look at, but warming also, and if I hadn't feared waking him from the sleep he desperately needed, I might have convinced myself to touch his face.

Instead, I turned over, now clasping that draped hand in mine, and willed myself to sleep.

(break)

Sleep. It was as if the world became clear again. I could feel heat and it didn't bother me. The sound of the clock ticking didn't cause my anger to become rampant. Her breathing was a calming sedative as I held close, pressing my face against the back of her neck, palm being gently squeezed by her sleep-ridden hands. How long had I been like this? How long had I let myself sleep?

But I did. And I felt, for the first time since the night I had slipped into her room unannounced, that I was at peace with myself again.

She warmed me. Cured me. An ordinary, clumsy, childish Chunin who couldn't even make Jonin with the rest of her age group. There was nothing special about her. Nothing overly interesting in retrospect to some of the women Shukaku would have had me bed. She was everything. And for what, I couldn't understand.

But one thing I did know was that, though she turned out to be the exact thing I needed, I was the polar opposite of what she wanted. As much as I should have liked to curl in next to her and feel her against me as someone who would want to be close, I could sense her fear, and it was as if nothing good could ever happen again.

I made her fear me.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata," I murmured, pressing my lips against the skin of her throat. "I wish I knew how to be enough for you."

And with that I fell asleep again. Just a quick slip into unconsciousness, so that I could pretend that these things last. Even just for a moment.

(break)

We had slept till morning. Sixteen hours of pure, uninterrupted sleep, and though I hadn't been tired in the first place, I couldn't help but feel a bit grateful for the excess of sleep.

Waking up was difficult, though.

I didn't want to move in case Gaara needed more sleep, and though sixteen hours had passed, I was still unsure of how much sleep he would need, or if he needed anymore. He had been out cold for hours, but the thought of waking him absolutely killed me, so I stayed still and counted ceiling tiles.

By the forth time counting, I was bored. I elected for the first option.

"Gaara?" I murmured, turning to face him once more. There was that childish face of his. Just much closer as he'd been leaning into the back of my neck. I felt suddenly very aware of the fact that he was so close, and it made my stomach knot with fear and excitement. I had never been this close to anyone before, not even in the tent when he played that cruel joke on me.

He didn't flinch at the sound of his name, nor the sudden movement. He just stayed still and lifeless as a ragdoll might, which brought me to a very interesting though, and one I was a bit embarrassed to follow through on. I reached up slowly, but surely, letting the beds of my fingers press against the curve of his jaw, then up along the sallow of his cheekbone. I felt a sense of giddiness well within me as I followed suit, now running them along the dark purple bruise-like bags under his eyes to the smooth bridge of his nose. The confident brow, and then the symbol.

Love. I murmured it to myself as I traced the intricate kanji. Ai.

His eyes opened slowly.

Realizing I'd been caught, I felt the blood rush up to my cheeks. He was staring at me with a certain direct intensity that was hard to break, and in that moment I couldn't, even if I wanted to. I was stuck, caught like a deer in headlights, as the alertness came back to his eyes.

"I'm dreaming," he murmured. "Touch me again."

I don't know why, but I did, and nervously. I cupped his cheek within my hand, running my thumb underneath his eye as if wiping away nonexistent tears. He seemed to purr deep within his chest, which made the nerves more attuned. I was a mess. A fragile thing.

But I wasn't afraid.

"I have wanted this," he said. "I didn't know it till now, but this is what I craved."

"Affection?"

He nodded, pressing his lips against my forehead. "Closeness. I have never been close with anyone."

I blanched, retracting my hand. This gesture was new. Bold, just like the kiss by the spring, but not passionate and needy. This was a mark of affection. Of tenderness that I didn't think he had the capability of bestowing. In his world, there was no black and white. No 'this is how it is', because he didn't know what was what. Just that he needed to figure it out. He had no idea what he wanted, just that he wanted it.

"I want to kiss you," he said. A soft reminder of his inner needs.

"Then kiss me."

He smiled, eyes closed. "I can't. Not even if I'm dreaming."

In an act of boldness on my part – which was far beyond anything I would have ever considered to be something I would do – I took his chin in my fingers, tilted his head down, and pressed my lips against his. A brief, chaste kiss, that felt real, and light, and good. When I pulled back, his eyes caught mine, and I felt stuck again.

"Tell me no," he said, eyes pleading. "Hinata, I don't want obligation. I don't want you to feel you need to do this to keep me sane. That's not fair to you."

I kissed him again. A little more strongly this time, and though there was some deep, hidden spot within me that was frightened by the words, I ignored them. If things were going to be okay for the next couple months, I had to play a much safer game. By being what he needed, I could keep him from falling apart, and in turn, keep him from losing it.

"Tell me no," he said again, this time moving quick, he managed to pull himself up and over me, trapping me in between his arms. His lips pressed against mine again, this time deeply. A strong ache of a kiss. "Tell me to stop."

My heart race accelerated, the fight or flight instinct taking hold of me. I was scared. Scared that I wouldn't get out of this one if I didn't say something, and I was starting to feel the thin control I had gained slipping away from me. He was towering over me. He was in control of me now.

"I will stop if you tell me to stop," he said, brows furrowed. "Just do it before I lose control. Don't be prideful."

But I was prideful. Even a shy Chunin could have their own hubris. After all, I was a Hyuuga. The stop never came for him, and with that, his control waned.

Gaara kissed my harder. A deeper, more passionate kiss as his arms repositioned, hands searching for anything worth touching. My hips, my torso, my arms. When he'd managed to get his fill of those parts of me, they found their way to the my thighs, then back up towards my chest. All the while, I couldn't fight him. I was losing a battle as his tongue found entrance into my mouth, breath becoming heavier.

I groaned as his left hand slipped under my bra, my own hands grasping at sheets, or his chest, or whatever seemed like a viable option. I was scared, and I couldn't move. I was a lost cause and I had lost my chance of escape.

"I want this," he huffed, moving his lips to my neck now. He licked and sucked and left red marks along the frail collarbone with his teeth that made me gasp, fear curdling my stomach and making it pool with heat. "God, I want this so bad."

He was grasping at the shirt now, trying to pull it up over my head, but us both being under the covers, and his still being on top of me made it a difficult feat. He managed, though. With effort and impatience, he got it off, and started kissing down my chest.

"G-Gaara," I mumbled, grasping at his hair now. A fine tuft of red silk that I tugged at. He was kissing the tops of my breasts, before tugging down the cups to reveal hardened nipples. I was embarrassed, the heart turning my cheeks and chest a bright red.

"I want these," he said, taking one of the pert nipples between his thumb and index finger. The other, he took in his mouth, suckling which made me squirm. It felt strange, and exciting, and embarrassing, and I couldn't escape the torrent of insecurity that held me still and silent.

It wasn't until his free hand started drifting towards my navel that the real panic kicked in.

"G-Gaara, wait," I sputtered, head arched back and lips quivering. "D-don't."

But his fingers had already slipped under the elastic waist of my panties, running along the tuft of hair before submerging between my thighs. My mouth gaped, eyes wide.

"I want this," he murmured in my ear. "I want it the most of all."

I clawed at his back then, tearing at the white t-shirt, confused as his fingers played along my inner folds. And he knew what he was doing. Shukaku had taught him a great many things about lust that I couldn't possibly understand, though I felt. I felt it deep within my core as his fingers indirectly stimulated the little pearl of nerves.

"Touch me," he pleaded. "Please, touch me."

At first, I didn't respond. I was too nervous and embarrassed to move my hands away from his back, but as his fingers probed around my inner folds, he whispered and begged and pleaded, and when at last I felt I needed to, his middle finger slid into my core. I crooned, grasping at him. At his body. At his chest and hips and stomach. I reached into his briefs, feeling for the thing I knew of but had never seen, and there it was, alive and in earnest. It was hot, and it was large.

"Damn," he groaned, resting his head against my neck. The finger within me pulled out slowly, then sunk back in, followed by a second which made the sensations become rampant.

I inched the waistband of his boxers down, grasping at the hot root with both hands. It was strange. Hard. I could feel my body yearn for it, though I was deeply afraid of it going in. Afraid of how large it was, and fearful that it would hurt. He was moaning, pumping the two fingers as I started to touch him where I had never touched anyone before. I was making him vulnerable. I had the piece that made him dangerous in my very hands and it made him weak.

"Pump me," he said, bucking his hips. "I want inside of you."

I did as was told, though a little sloppily. I could barely see it under the blankets, and my inexperience didn't make things much better, but he didn't seem to care. I pulled him and rubbed the tip and ran my fingers down to where the sac was. When I grasped this, his eyes widened.

"God damn, I'm going to cum in my boxers at this rate."

He removed his briefs completely then, followed shortly after by my own, which took him a bit longer than his own. As soon as this was done, though, he inched his knee between my thighs, and began positioning himself.

"Gaara," I gasped, feeling something hot rub my inner folds. "Ah, Gaara, hngg."

"This may hurt," he murmured, and with that, began a slow but smooth thrust inside.

At first, the feeling of being filled was odd, but satiating, as if I was finally being completed, but when he tore through the barrier, a sharp pain took away the feelings of being fulfilled. I was wide-eyed, tears springing up and over, and I couldn't hold back the feeling of confusion as he continued pushing in until fully sheathed. At this point, he didn't move.

"I'm sorry," he said, wide-eyed. He was panting, and his arms were shaking.

The pain dissipated, and with it, so did his self control. After a certain point, he started pulling out, and the feeling began to well up dangerously. In fact, it was so strong I could feel moans passing my lips as he dug himself back in. And then out, and then in. He was panting, and I was being filled again and again.

"H-Harder," I said, my hips bucking now. "Fuck, go harder!"

It didn't take much for his thrusts to become sharp and deep. I was no longer moaning, but staunching shouts by covering my mouth with my wrist. He was moving, and I was taking, and the world started turning as it had never turned before. I clutched at his back, his ass, his powerful thighs. I clawed at flesh and watching as his eyes harden and his body convulse.

"I'm going to cum," he sputtered, slamming in again. "God, I need to cum."

And I was, too. I was there, at the pinnacle of climax, riding it higher and higher. Just a little bit more and I would be done. Just a little…

"Cum for me," he murmured. "Hinata, cum for me."

I let it go. A wild, frenzied orgasm that left me reeling, and my body shaking with excitement and pleasure and so many things I had never experienced before. He was about to cum, too, and was grunting and moaning and making his way to that moment.

"I want this," I murmured, meeting his thrusts. "I want you to cum."

And he did to. A loud, guttural moan before he collapsed on top of me.

Suddenly I knew things couldn't be the same.

* * *

Right, so yeah. I'm back, and with a rather steamy chapter of steaminess. I don't know what brought me to continue on with this one, but I felt it would be the perfect time for something ridiculously smutty. So, yeah, a little smutty goodness for your Gaahina hearts.

R&R my lovelies. I'll be back in a week or two with an update so enjoy!

Sabaku-Kazekage


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